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state　and　ambassadors　at　the　Court　of　St。　James　had　〃trusted；〃



and　〃regretted；〃　and　had　〃the　honor　to　renew　assurances　of　their



most　distinguished　consideration〃；　but　all　in　vain。　At　last　the



matter　had　been　presented　by　Secretary　Olney　to　the　government　of



Lord　Salisbury；　and　now；　to　Mr。　Olney's　main　despatch　on　the



subject；　Lord　Salisbury；　after　some　months'　delay；　had　returned



an　answer　declining　arbitration；　and　adding　that　international



law　did　not　recognize　the　Monroe　Doctrine。　This　seemed　even　more



than　cool；　for；　when　one　remembered　that　the　Monroe　Doctrine　was



at　first　laid　down　with　the　approval　of　Great　Britain；　that　it



was　glorified　in　Parliament　and　in　the　British　press　of　1823　and



the　years　following；　and　that　Great　Britain　had　laid　down



policies　in　various　parts　of　the　earth；　especially　in　the



Mediterranean　and　in　the　far　East；　which　she　insisted　that　all



other　powers　should　respect　without　reference　to　any　sanction　by



international　law；　this　argument　seemed　almost　insulting。







So　it　evidently　seemed　to　Mr。　Cleveland。　Probably　no　man　less



inclined　to　demagogism　or　to　a　policy　of　adventure　ever　existed；



but　as　he　looked　over　the　case　his　American　instincts　were



evidently　aroused。　He　saw　then；　what　is　clear　to　everybody　now；



that　it　was　the　time　of　all　times　for　laying　down；　distinctly　and



decisively；　the　American　doctrine　on　the　subject。　He　did　so；　and



in　a　message　to　Congress　proposed　that；　since　Great　Britain　would



not　intrust　the　finding　of　a　boundary　to　arbitration；　the　United



States　should　appoint　commissioners　to　find　what　the　proper



boundary　was；　and　then；　having　ascertained　it；　should　support　its



sister　American　republic　in　maintaining　it。







Of　course　the　President　was　attacked　from　all　sides　most



bitterly；　even　those　called　〃the　better　element〃　in　the



Republican　and　Democratic　parties；　who　had　been　his　ardent



supporters；　now　became　his　bitter　enemies。　He　was　charged　with



〃demagogism〃　and　〃jingoism；〃　but　he　kept　sturdily　on。　Congress；



including　the　great　body　of　the　Republicans；　supported　him；　the



people　at　large　stood　by　him；　and；　as　a　result；　a　commission　to



determine　the　boundary　was　appointed　and　began　its　work　in



Washington；　the　commissioners　being；　in　the　order　named　by　the



President；　David　J。　Brewer　of　Kansas；　a　justice　of　the　Supreme



Court　of　the　United　States；　Chief　Justice　Alvey　of　the　District



of　Columbia；　Andrew　D。　White　of　New　York；　F。　R。　Coudert；　an



eminent　member　of　the　New　York　bar；　and　Daniel　C。　Gilman　of



Maryland；　President　of　Johns　Hopkins　University。







On　our　arrival　in　Washington　there　was　much　discouragement　among



us。　We　found　ourselves　in　a　jungle　of　geographical　and　legal



questions；　with　no　clue　in　sight　leading　anywhither。　The　rights



of　Great　Britain　had　been　derived　in　1815；　from　the　Netherlands；



the　rights　of　Venezuela　had　been　derived；　about　1820；　from　Spain；



but　to　find　the　boundary　separating　the　two　in　that　vast



territory；　mainly　unsettled；　between　the　Orinoco　and　the



Essequibo　rivers；　seemed　impossible。







The　original　rights　of　the　Netherlands　had　been　derived　from



Spain　by　the　treaty　of　Munster　in　1648；　and　on　examining　that



enormous　document；　which　settled　weighty　questions　in　various



parts　of　the　world；　after　the　life…and…death　struggle；　religious；



political；　and　military；　which　had　gone　on　for　nearly　eighty



years；　one　little　clause　arrested　our　attention：　that；　namely；　in



which　the　Spaniards；　despite　their　bitter　hatred　of　the　Dutch；



agreed　that　the　latter　might　carry　on　warlike　operations　against



〃certain　other　people〃　with　reference　to　territorial　rights　in



America。　These　〃certain　other　people〃　were　not　precisely



indicated；　and　we　hoped；　by　finding　who　they　were；　to　get　a　clue



to　the　fundamental　facts　of　the　case。　Straightway　two　of　our



three　lawyers；　Mr。　Justice　Brewer　and　Mr。　Coudert；　grappled　on



this　question；　one　of　them　taking　the　ground　that　these　〃other



people〃　referred　to　were　the　Caribbean　Indians　who　had　lived　just



south　of　the　mouth　of　the　Orinoco；　and　had　been　friendly　to　the



Dutch　but　implacable　toward　the　Spaniards；　and　that　their



territory　was　to　be　considered　as　virtually　Dutch；　and；



therefore；　as　having　passed　finally　to　England。　But　the　other



disputant　insisted　that　it　referred　to　the　Brazilians　and　had　no



relation　to　the　question　with　which　we　had　to　deal。　During　two



whole　sessions　this　ground　was　fought　over　in　a　legal　way　by



these　gentlemen；　with　great　acumen；　the　rest　of　us　hardly　putting



in　a　word。







At　the　beginning　of　the　third　session　I　ventured　a　remonstrance；



saying　that　it　was　a　historical；　and　not　a　legal；　question；　that



it　could　not　possibly　be　settled　by　legal　argument；　that　the



first　thing　to　know　was　why　the　clause　was　inserted　in　the



treaty；　and　that　the　next　thing　was　to　find；　from　the　whole



history　leading　up　to　it；　who　those　〃other　persons〃　thus　vaguely



referred　to　and　left　by　the　Spaniards　to　the　tender　mercies　of



the　Dutch　might　be；　and　I　insisted　that　this；　being　a　historical



question；　must　be　solved　by　historical　experts。　The　commission



acknowledged　the　justice　of　this；　and　on　my　nomination　we　called



to　our　aid　Mr。　George　Lincoln　Burr；　professor　of　history　in



Cornell　University。　It　is　not　at　all　the　very　close　friendship



which　has　existed　for　so　many　years　between　us　which　prompts　the



assertion　that；　of　all　historical　scholars　I　have　ever　known；　he



is　among　the　very　foremost；　by　his　powers　of　research；　his



tenacity　of　memory；　his　almost　preternatural　accuracy；　his



ability　to　keep　the　whole　field　of　investigation　in　his　mind；　and



his　fidelity　to　truth　and　justice。　He　was　set　at　the　problem；　and



given　access　to　the　libraries　of　Congress　and　of　the　State



Department；　as　also　to　the　large　collections　of　books　and　maps



which　had　been　placed　at　the　disposal　of　the　commission。　Of　these



the　most　important　were　those　of　Harvard　University　and　the



University　of　Wisconsin。　Curious　as　it　may　seem；　this　latter



institution；　far　in　the　interior　of　our　country；　possesses　a



large　and　most　valuable　collection　of　maps　relating　to　the



colonization　history　of　South　America。　Within　two　weeks　Professor



Burr　reported；　and　never　did　a　report　give　more　satisfaction。　He



had　unraveled；　historically；　the　whole　mystery；　and　found　that；



the　government　of　Brazil　having　played　false　to　both　Spaniards



and　Dutch；　Spain　had　allowed　the　Netherlands　to　take　vengeance



for　the　vexations　of　both。　We　also　had　the　exceedingly　valuable



services；　as　to　maps　and　early　colonization　history；　of　Mr。



Justin　Winsor；　librarian　of　Harvard　University；　eminent　both　as



historian　and　geographer；　and　of　Professor　Jameson　of　Brown



University；　who　had　also　distinguished　himself　in　these　fields。



Besides　these；　Mr。　Marcus　Baker　of　the　United　States　Coast　Survey



aided　us；　from　day　to　day；　in　mapping　out　any　territories　that　we



wished　especially　to　study。







All　this　work　was　indispensable。　At　the　very　beginning　of　our



sessions　there　had　been　laid　before　us　the　first　of　a　series　of



British　Blue　Books　on　the　whole　subject；　and；　with　all　my



admiration　for　the　better　things　in　British　history；　politics；



and　life；　candor　compels　me　to　say　that　it　was　anything　but



creditable　to　the　men　immediately　responsible　for　it。　It　made



several　statements　that　were　absolutely　baseless；　and　sought　to



rest　them　upon　authorities　which；　when　examined；　were　found　not



to　bear　in　the　slightest　degree　the　interpretation　put　upon　them。



I　must　confess　that　nothing；　save；　perhaps；　the　conduct　of



British　〃experts〃　regarding　the　Behring　Sea　question；　has　ever



come　so　near　shaking　my　faith　in　〃British　fair　play。〃　Nor　were



the　American　commissioners　alone　in　judging　this　document



severely。　Critics　broke　forth；　even　in　the　London　〃Times；〃



denouncing　it；　until　it　was　supplanted　by　another；　which　was　fair



and　just。







I；　of　course；　impute　nothing　to　the　leading　British　statesmen　who



had　charge　of　the　whole　Venezuelan　question。　The　culprits　were；



undoubtedly；　sundry　underlings　whose　zeal　outran　their　honesty。



They　apparently　thought　that　in　the　United　States；　which　they



probably　considered　as　new；　raw；　and　too　much　engaged　in



dollar…hunting　to　produce　scholars；　their　citations　from



authorities　more　or　less　difficult　of　access　would　fail　to　be



critically　examined。　But　their　conduct　was　soon　exposed；　and　even



their　principals　joined　in　repudiating　some　of　their　fundamental



statements。　Professor　Burr　was　sent　abroad；　and　at　The　Hague　was



able　to　draw　treasures　from　the　library　and　archives　regarding



the　old　Dutch　occupation　and　to　send　a　mass　of　important　material



for　our　deliberations。　In　London　also　he　soon　showed　his



qualities；　and　these　were　acknowledged　even　by　some　leading



British　geographers。　The　latter　had　at　first　seemed　inclined　to



indulge　in　what　a　German　might　call　〃tendency〃　geography；　but　the



clearness；　earnestness；　and　honesty　of　our　agent　soon　gained



their　respect；　and；　after　that；　the　investigators　of　both　sides



worked　harmoniously　together。　While　the　distinguished　lawyers



above　named　had　main　charge　of　the　legal　questions；　President



Gilman；　who　had　in　his　early　life　been　professor　of　physical　and



general　geography　at　Yale；　was　given　charge　of　the　whole　matter



of　map…seeking　and　…making；　and　to　me；　with　the　others；　was　left



the　duty　of　studying　and　repo